Research explores changing perceptions of marine life, with impacts on conservation efforts

A series of studies conducted at the Center for Psychological Research and Social Intervention (CIS-Iscte) have examined how human perceptions of marine animals shape attitudes, emotions, and even conservation efforts. The outputs of this research, co-authored by Sandra Godinho and Margarida Garrido, were recently published in Environmental Communication and Anthrozoös.

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In recent years, orcas have dominated headlines for their increasing interactions with sailing vessels off the Iberian coast. Reports of orcas ramming and damaging boats have fueled sensationalist media coverage, often framing the animals as aggressive threats. Sandra Godinho and Margarida Garrido, researchers at CIS-Iscte, examined how this media portrayal is shaping public perceptions of orcas, and the findings reveal a significant shift.

The researchers analyzed more than 400 online news within 3 years before and 3 years after 2020, when the orca encounters began escalating, and found that reporting has become more negative and abstract. Words like “attack” now appear frequently, reinforcing conflict-driven narratives. “When media outlets frame orcas as villains rather than complex, intelligent creatures responding to environmental changes, they shape public attitudes in ways that can fuel hostility and even calls for retaliation,” says Sandra Godinho. The goal of this research was to measure linguistic biases in media coverage but also to explore the social representations of orcas. So, in a second study, the research team interviewed about 350 people to examine their representations of orcas. Participants aware of the incidents were more likely to describe orcas with conflict-related terms, such as “dangerous”, “predator”, or “killer”, while those less aware maintained a positive image.

“The linguistic simplification of the phenomenon, portraying orcas as aggressors or summarizing the phenomenon as a duel between humans and orcas, seems to contribute to the spread of social representations that favor hostile behavior, which is averse to the preservation of biodiversity,” - said Margarida Garrido.

According to the researcher, this finding illustrates the complexity of social representations, emphasizing the need for responsible media coverage in wildlife stories to foster positive human-animal relationships.

But are orcas an exception, or do humans conceptualize other marine species in similar ways?

This question led the researchers to a second set of studies, which applied well-established cognitive models, originally developed to study human group stereotypes, to marine animals. The findings suggest that the way we categorize people also extends to the marine animal kingdom.

"Humans naturally classify social groups based on perceived warmth (others’ good or ill intentions) and competence (ability to act on those intentions)," explains Sandra Godinho. "We asked participants to apply the same dimensions when evaluating marine animals and examined how such classifications were linked to different emotions and behaviors.” Results showed that dolphins and sea turtles were seen as warm and competent, leading to positive emotions and strong conservation support. In contrast, sharks and orcas were perceived as competent but threatening, which could trigger fear and defensive reactions.

These insights could have implications for conservation efforts. The researchers state that while orcas may currently be caught in a negative media cycle, the broader study suggests that human-wildlife interactions are shaped by deep-seated cognitive processes. Understanding these mechanisms can help policymakers and conservationists develop strategies to shift public perception and encourage coexistence rather than conflict. As marine environments face increasing human impact, these studies highlight the urgent need to rethink how we communicate about wildlife. Calling for interdisciplinary approaches, Sandra Godinho states,

“If we want to promote conservation, we need to consider not just the science of the animals themselves, but also the psychology of the people interacting with them.”